All men must die in Game of Thrones, yet not all deaths are suitable for TV audiences. Take the recent revelation that the demise of Myrcella Baratheon (or Lannister, if you want to be reminded of her twincestuous parentage) was a lot more gruesome when first filmed.
Actress Nell Tiger Free, who played the character, has revealed that the princess's death was supposed to look very similar to Joffrey's (minus the cheering of viewers worldwide).
Speaking to MYM Buzz, Free explained that after being poisoned by devilish Ellaria from Dorne, Baratheon’s brains were meant to go “all over the ship” and panicked father/uncle Jamie.
“I don’t know if I should say this, but originally what happened is they gave me those mashed up bananas with like blood, fake blood, and my brains were supposed to be all over the ship and stuff,” Free said. “I was so excited. I don’t like gore, but, like, I knew they were just like bananas, so I was okay with it.”
So why did Game of Thrones – the show that depicted a man’s skull being crushed like a screaming melon, a pregnant woman being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach and a little girl gouging out someone's eyes with a dagger – soften the scene? Free said the show wanted her death to reflect Myrcella’s character. “[They] wanted it to be sweet,” she added, “which is rare for Thrones.”
It’s not the only end that had to be cut. Ramsey Bolton’s death by canine-face-ripping after The Battle of The Bastards was deemed "too gruesome" for the showmakers, with the pups’ goriest work cut from the final edit.
But don’t worry if you haven’t got your fill of blood-curdling Thrones deaths yet: the latest dragon-filled season is headed for screens very, very soon…
Game of Thrones Season 7 premieres in the UK on 17th July on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV at 2am, repeated at 9pm on the same day
